Ten Cent Lake, Oregon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Malheur County, Oregon, sits Ten Cent Lake. The bank gives way to sage and rock. At 290 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. There is roughly 3.0 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. On our Malheur County list it sits near the top for size. The closest town, Hines, is 56 miles away. Burns is 56 miles and Homedale 80 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Ten Cent Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Malheur County include rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, common carp and flathead catfish. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Ten Cent Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 68°F; by January the average is down near 29°F. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Ten Cent Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public mapping marks it as seasonal water rather than permanent. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Heath Lake, 2.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Ten Cent Lake carry more weight than any list.